We all get a little sad when we hear of animal species on the cusp of extinction.  Often this can be due to the influence of humans in over fishing, hunting or destroying their natural environment.  We are reminded that once the damage has been done it cannot be reversed and we will have lost something of value for ever and the only place we will see these animals, fish, birds or insects is in a museum or a text book.

The same occurs with food.  Mass produced and low quality food threatens the rich culinary culture of many countries.  If people do not learn to cook the recipes, capture the experiences and the food culture will not be passed to the next generation and effectively dies.  The only place we can learn of these foods and traditions is through food.  Effectively resulting in culinary extinction.

Many people are acutely aware of these phenomena and actively learn their families or cultures recipes.  Blogs such as thefoodblog and groups like Kulinarya Cooking Club also share these experiences.  The rise of shows like Food Safari, My family Feast, MasterChef and the Cook and the Chef to name a few, truly reflect the communities interest and desire to understand food from both their own and different cultures.  In Australia we have a very interesting food culture whereby there are very little home grown recipes, instead we have adopted the dishes of migrants so it is very dynamic.

I feel food blogging is the latest evolution in the food world.  The internet provides a great medium to share ideas, photos, recipes and comments.  There are some great blogs that celebrate food from their families or experimentation and others that are sharing the foodie explorations.  The diversity is amazing.

I find it interesting that every six months or so one of the mainstream news papers runs a story that is highly critical of food bloggers.  The tone of the story usually insinuates that because bloggers are amateurs somehow their opinions, ideas and observations are somehow less valid than that of a seasoned professional.  I find this concept quite hard to swallow.  Food blogging is about passion, learning and community.  Mass produced magazines and news papers often lack these essential elements.

One food that is facing extinction is the humble pasty.  Most of these I have tasted are lack flavour and have the texture of a wet sponge.  I really don’t enjoy them and therefore I never eat them.  One day this all changed for me.  I was travelling in the UK and was walking through a market in Oxford.  It was an amazing experience.  The market had all sorts of foods including a hundred turkeys hanging up on the wall in preparation for Christmas, a wild boar and I even saw a pheasant plucker.  That day one thing I ate was a pasty.  They had a small bakery that only cooked pasties.  I had the Chicken and Stilton pasty and the taste was amazing.  Four years on and I can still remember this little pocket of flavour.

I have attempted to make my interpretation of this pasty.  The flavour is quite rich so I recommend making them in fun size.

Currently we are in the thick of football season of pretty much every code.  The rugby league is about to celebrate the annual State of Origin tournament, Aussie rules is going strong, Rugby Union is having the Super 14 finals and the test matches is about to begin and last but not least the Socceroos are about to compete in the World Cup “C’mon Aussie”.  For any sports lover its an exciting time and with football comes beer and snacks.

Sometimes the mission to gather said meaty treats is more interesting than the food itself, I will endeavour to walk you through the process.

1.   Whilst sitting at the footy the food cravings will set it and no quantity of beer will satisfy.  The first task is to correctly hydrate for the mission.  I recommend consuming a beer (or two).

2.   The next task is to identify a lull in the action.  The perfect opportunity is half time but everybody else will be trekking to find food so you may have to battle with the hungry hoards.

3.   Unless you are sitting on the aisle you will need to perfectly execute the Crab Dance as you shuffle sideways in the narrow gap between the rows of seats.  This is a critical stage of any food or beer mission as you may get criticised for blocking the view, heckled for supporting the wrong team or covered in a screaming fans beer.

4.   After you have escaped Fanasourus you need to navigate your way to the food stand and wait.

5.   Once you reach the front of the queue you spot the natural habitat of the sausage roll: the pie warmer.  Here they sit in a very docile manner with others of their species before the hand of god abducts them for your tasting pleasure.  You place your order and part with too much money for tasty treats and retreat back to your seat.

6.   On the return journey you will be required to engage in the crab dance again, although this time it will be more difficult as your hands will be full of sausage rolls and beer.

7.   You get back you for seat and your quest is complete.  Time to bite into your winnings.

Everybody looks for different things in their sausage rolls but I like them moist on the inside and packed with flavour.  In Sydney I think the most famous sausage rolls would come from the Bourke Street Bakery.  Apart from the long queue out the door this is a very humble looking store.  The bakery also has its own cookbook that has been subject to many different posts from around the blogosphere.  I decided to try both the Fennel and Pork and the Lamb and Harissa Sausage rolls.  They were really good and worth the effort.  I have shared the Lamb and Harissa Sausage rolls recipe and the Pork and Fennel Sausage rolls can be found in the book.